‘He fixes what needs fixing’ – why Raducanu turned to Nadal’s ex-coach

A new coach has been hired by Emma Raducanu.

Since the 22-year-old Briton won the US Open title as a teenager qualifier, the phrase has been repeated several times.

However, Rafael Nadal’s appointment of Francisco Roig, a calculating Spaniard who won all 22 of his 22 Grand Slam titles, seems like a wise move as Raducanu tries to keep on her upward trajectory.

The world number 35 is hoping Roig can propel her even higher ahead of the US Open, which is their second competition together.

Former Spanish number two Feliciano Lopez, who worked with Roig for a number of years, described Francisco as the “best coach I worked with by far.”

Everyone you speak to about the 57-year-old Catalan says the same thing right away: “His technical knowledge is unmatched.”

Roig and Nadal collaborated as a second coach in 2005 after his uncle Toni and helped the swashbuckling left-hander become an absolute legend shortly after he stopped working with Lopez.

Former world number one Nadal praised Roig for making him “better and better” when he left the team in 2022 for a different challenge.

Toni Nadal, a highly skilled coach who can assist Raducanu in improving his technical skills, said: “Francis is a very good coach and a man who can help Raducanu improve,” Nadal added to BBC Sport.

Every player hits the ball very quickly in the current game. In the end, tennis is all about power and control; however, it’s challenging to put five or six balls on the court in a row when hitting the ball quickly without using effective technique.

Francis instructs players in this way. I believe he can assist Raducanu in regaining his tennis prowess.

Raducanu has steadily rebuilt her career after skipping the majority of the 2023 season due to wrist and ankle injuries.

Since Mark Petchey’s informal closing ceremony in March, Raducanu has advanced to the WTA semi-finals in Washington and the quarter-finals in Miami and Queen.

She has returned to the top 30 of the world and has played some of her best tennis since that memorable fortnight in New York four years ago, looking content and happy.

Raducanu now believes Roig can add another layer to the stronger resilience she’s discovered this year.

“I can definitely improve the quality of many of my shots,” said Rapucanu.

I’ve been good at being imaginative, scraping, and playing the big points well, but my game needs to be better overall.

Lopez claims Roig accomplishes that by using unique, “practical” and “spezifically” coaching techniques with his players.

That comes after he uses observation to identify technical flaws rather than forensic video analysis.

Close friend Jordi Vilaro, who has known Roig for more than 40 years and co-owns the BTT Academy in Barcelona with him, told BBC Sport, “His eyes are special.”

He can see things that other coaches can’t see in a thousandth of a second; they might require slow motion or video.

Raducanu continued to weigh her options after Petchey made it clear that he was not willing to give up his position as a television commentator to pursue full-time coaching.

Over the summer, Roig’s availability was made public, and the pair collaborated in a secret trial following Wimbledon.

Raducanu enjoys learning, and she once attributed this to “provoking” questions in her high coaching turnover. Roig’s sessions were challenging, encouraging, and immediately stimulating.

“Francois is very passionate about tennis,” said Vilaro.

He says, “What’s amazing is that he can watch a game on television without giving a damn about the outcome.” He checks the movement, positioning, and hitting the ball. He is watching a lot of particular things.

He said, “I want to do it, but I don’t want any paperwork,” when we created the academy. I simply want to be on the court. His passion is the court.

Roig has already been impressed by Raducanu’s work ethic.

The pair met at the Cincinnati Open twice during his first year in charge of the organization, where she confidently passed Serbia’s Olga Danilovic before, more importantly, pushing world number one Aryna Sabalenka to her limit.

Although Raducanu didn’t shock everyone, his performance was encouraging and optimistic for the US Open.

Before she played Sabalenka, and after Raducanu beat Danilovic, Vilaro said, “I spoke to Francis.”

He said, “It’s amazing, I really enjoy working with this player because she enjoys being on the court.” We spent two hours educating ourselves on the return, the return plus a second shot, and what to do when the foe attacks.

Raducanu became notorious for hiring and firing a number of full-time coaches in the beginning of her career.

Working with a close-knit group led by people she trusts in Cavaday and Petchey over the past two years has been a better combination.

After winning the US Open, Raducanu did not do well with outsiders entering the inner circle, so it seems crucial to form a strong relationship with Roig.

“Francis is a very good person, he is a man who you can be at ease with,” Toni Nadal said.

“It’s important when you’re with someone who has a good character; I believe that’s much better.”

However, it’s challenging to change someone who used to do one thing. What I explain to the players is that having a level and ranking that are happy with nothing, I keep it simple.

“You have to change something if you are not happy,” he says, “emotionally, tactically, or technically.”

However, you typically need a little time, and I believe Francis needs a little bit of it from Raducanu.

Raducanu and Roig appear at ease in each other’s company in a mixed doubles practice session with Carlos Alcaraz and his team at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday, judging by the cheers.

Roig and Roig have already spent a lot of time together in Cincinnati, where Roig took over driving duties during lengthy road trips to the tournament.

Roig and Nadal’s relationship with each other led to them going fishing, playing golf, and playing football together away from the court, despite Lopez still calling him one of his “best buddies.”

“To be good technically, a good psychologist, and a good person, are many things that great coaches need,” added Lopez.